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For landowners · Cornwall

Sell Land Without Planning in St Austell

Can I sell land without planning in St Austell?

Selling a site in St Austell before planning comes down to who carries the risk and the cost of the application. Land to Homes looks at local planning policy, access and constraints, then sets out which deal fits: a direct purchase, subject to survey, title and contract, a conditional contract, or a longer-term option or promotion.

Misty paddock at sunrise on the edge of a market town with a church spireSt Austell · PL25

Free site appraisal

Tell us about your land and we will call you back. No cost, no obligation.

Prefer to talk? Call 0800 088 6248.

  • Free site appraisalNo cost, no obligation
  • Legal fees coveredReasonable fees, on options and promotion
  • Nothing to pay upfrontOn promotion: we fund planning
  • Direct purchaseSuitable sites, with or without planning
  • UK-wideEngland, Wales, Scotland and NI

Land we look at around St Austell

St Austell sits about 13 miles north-east of Truro in Cornwall, in the PL25 postcode district. If your land sits between towns, Bodmin, Truro and Newquay are the closest neighbouring places on our list. Within England, St Austell falls in the South West region.

Around St Austell we look at infill gaps along existing streets, former garage blocks and yards and backland plots with a workable access. In England, where St Austell sits, planning decisions are made by the local planning authority, usually the district, borough, city or unitary council (or a national park authority).

A postcode and a rough boundary are enough for us to start a free appraisal of land near St Austell.

What you get in St Austell

Overage protects the upside

If you sell now, an overage clause can entitle you to a further payment if a more valuable permission is granted later. We explain how triggers, duration and security are usually set out.

Hope value explained

Land with no permission but a realistic chance of one is worth more than its current use value, but less than consented land. We explain where your site sits on that scale and why.

Option or promotion routes

Where planning will take longer, an option or promotion agreement lets us fund the application while you keep ownership. We explain the difference, including who benefits from a higher or lower sale price.

Local plan timing

Councils review their development plans periodically and invite landowners to put sites forward. We check where your council is in that cycle, because it can matter more than any single application.

The English system, as it applies in St Austell

Whether a field or large garden could take homes depends mostly on the council's Local Plan and national policy. Under the National Planning Policy Framework, plans define settlement boundaries, and land just outside St Austell may still come forward if it is allocated, previously developed or meets evidenced unmet housing need. Smaller housing schemes can also use Permission in Principle, an England-only route that settles location, use and amount first. Our free appraisal explains which route suits your land.

In England, the starting point is the Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework. Councils assess land put forward in a housing and economic land availability assessment. Smaller housing-led sites can apply for Permission in Principle to test whether the location is acceptable, and some Green Belt land may now be assessed as grey belt.

Key rules in St Austell
Who decides applicationsThe local planning authority, usually the district, borough, city or unitary council (or a national park authority)
In-principle consentOutline planning permission, with reserved matters approved later
Land registrationHM Land Registry
Developer contributionsSection 106 planning obligations, plus the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) where the council charges it

Sell Land Without Planning in St Austell: questions

Can I keep using the land while planning is pursued?

Usually, yes. Under options and promotion agreements you normally keep ownership and can carry on using the land, for example for grazing or farming, until it is sold. The agreement sets out access for surveys and any restrictions, such as on granting new long-term tenancies.

Is a field with no road frontage worth selling for development?

It can be, but access is the first question any buyer asks. If the only route in crosses land owned by someone else, rights need to be agreed or a strip bought. We check title plans and highway records before suggesting any deal, so you know whether access is a hurdle or a dead end.

Can I get planning on land outside the settlement boundary?

Sometimes. Land just outside a boundary is usually treated as countryside, where new housing is restricted. Prospects improve if the council allocates the land in a new plan, or where national policy gives weight to unmet housing need. Each nation handles this differently, so we explain the position for your council area.

What is hope value?

Hope value is the extra amount a buyer will pay above a site's existing use value because there is a realistic prospect of planning permission. The stronger the prospect, and the sooner permission could realistically come, the higher the hope value tends to be. It is lower than the value with permission, because the buyer carries the planning risk.

Do you buy land in St Austell?

Yes. Land to Homes looks at land in St Austell and elsewhere in Cornwall, including Helston, Bodmin and Launceston. Every enquiry starts with a free site appraisal, and on option and promotion agreements we pay your reasonable legal fees.

Read more: Sell Land Without Planning · Guide: Planning permission explained for landowners

Sell Land Without Planning elsewhere in Cornwall

Own land that could take new homes?

Start with a free, no-obligation site appraisal. On option and promotion agreements we fund the planning work and pay your reasonable legal fees.

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